Ilse’s career in academics has benefited greatly from her voracious desire for knowledge and information. Never one to back down from a challenge, she finished her Ph.D. while also specializing in Bayesian statistical techniques to analyze her data in incredibly intricate simulations. Needless to say, these involved many long days and required an overwhelming tenacity that she was able to deliver in spades.

Motivated by her desire to further her understanding and apply it to make a significant impact on the world, Ilse has accumulated an amazing set of credentials. Having obtained a Ph.D. in Audiology and Speech Sciences in addition to a Master’s degree in Bioengineering, she decided to pursue a career in technical writing within the technology industry. Her aptitude for organizing information and reducing it to its most useful form has proven to be a perfect fit. Ilse is able to use her incredible ability to communicate complex topics in an accessible way to make massive impacts in the lives of our Members and anyone who comes into contact with her work.

When she is out in the world, she connects with those most important to her and invests in her relationships. Ideally, she is doing that while hanging off of a rock wall somewhere or aimed roughly down a mountain on skis. With her family spread out from South Africa to Western Canada, she has also taken the time to collect a chosen family in every place she has lived over her lifetime. Ilse also happens to extend her self-described “nerdiness” to music. She finds great joy in playing piano and violin and continues to immerse herself in the world of western classical music by frequenting the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on a regular basis to enjoy her favourite classical music.